Grosse Pointe Farms to create social district on the Hill

GROSSE POINTE FARMS — Patrons of several Hill businesses will soon be able to enjoy a cocktail, beer or glass of wine outside.

The Grosse Pointe Farms City Council voted unanimously in favor of creating a social district on the Hill during a meeting Dec. 9. The district will include The Bronze Door, Luxe Bar and Grille and the Dirty Dog Jazz Café, as well as possibly the bookstore Fly Leaf, which has a bistro and bar. The boundaries of the social district would be Kercheval Avenue between McMillan and Muir roads and would include the Kercheval sidewalk and the alley connecting St. James Place and Kercheval.

Social districts must be approved by the Michigan Liquor Control Commission and are governed by multiple rules. Patrons can only be served alcoholic beverages by participating businesses on their premises and can only drink those alcoholic beverages within the common areas of the district. In addition, patrons can only consume alcohol from specially marked cups used by the participating businesses.

“Social districts … kind of exploded during the (COVID-19) pandemic, where people wanted to dine outside,” City Manager Shane Reeside said.

He said these districts became very popular. Many other local communities, including St. Clair Shores, have established social districts in the last few years, primarily in downtowns.

“The social districts have been used successfully in Grosse Pointe Park, Grosse Pointe Woods and Grosse Pointe City,” Reeside said. “It allows patrons of restaurants to buy a drink and take that drink outside … within those (set) confines.”

Social districts proved to be such a hit in Michigan that in 2022, the Michigan Legislature eliminated what was slated to be an end to them in 2024, thus allowing these districts to operate in perpetuity.

Reeside said establishing a social district would permit outdoor alcohol consumption “on a regular basis.”

Because of the rules by which these districts operate, people wouldn’t be able to bring their own alcohol to drink in the districts.

City Councilman Lev Wood said he asked Grosse Pointe City Mayor Sheila Tomkowiak if her community had experienced any problems with its social district in The Village.

“She said no,” Wood said. “As far as Grosse Pointe City is concerned, there hasn’t been any trouble.”

He added that the Farms could always revoke the social district if the city had issues with it.

“The district itself is extremely well delineated and there are some very strong regulations in there,” Wood said.

Local business owners and the Grosse Pointe Chamber of Commerce wrote letters in support of it.

Assistant City Manager/City Clerk Derrick Kozicki said one impetus for the social district came from the GPCC because the GPCC would need to get a special license to sell alcohol during its annual art festival on the Hill. By having the social district, Kozicki said, art festival patrons would be able to purchase alcohol from participating Hill bars and restaurants and bring those beverages into the festival area with them.

“It really is a reflection on what we did as part of our master plan,” City Councilwoman Beth Konrad Wilberding said.

But she wondered why Café Nini — another longtime Hill eatery — wasn’t part of the social district.

Reeside said Café Nini, and others, could be added later, but some restaurants didn’t voice a desire to do so.

“Those are the businesses that specifically expressed an interest” in being part of a social district, Reeside explained of the ones included in the rollout.

Officials saw this as a plus for the local business community.

“I can understand where this could be a boost for development,” Konrad Wilberding said.

City Councilman Neil Sroka also voiced support for the social district.

“Overall, I’m in favor of it,” Sroka said.

Hill businesses interested in participating in the social district need to fill out a permit form with the city.